Veteran survives four tours of duty and family loss

Life and death, love and war: Staff Sgt. Michael Scoggin has balanced them all and managed to come through with a deeper appreciation for the support of his family.

BY SHARON MYERSThe Dispatch

Life and death, love and war: Staff Sgt. Michael Scoggin has balanced them all and managed to come through with a deeper appreciation for the support of his family.Scoggin volunteered to enter the Air Force in 2007 regardless of the fact that the United States was actively fighting wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. "Ever since 9/11, I felt like I needed to do something," he said. "I had spent six years in college and still hadn't figured out what I wanted to do when I grew up."Scoggin says that he was influenced by his father, who was in the Air Force Reserves, and his grandfather, who served in the Army Air Corps. His father actually served during the Gulf War and was encouraging of his decision to join the Air Force. "My parents were always supportive," he said. "They were worried, as any parent would be, but they were always there when I left, and they were always there when I came back."Scoggin, a Central Davidson High School graduate, is the son of the Debbi and Kevin Scoggin of Southmont. He has two brothers, Kevin and Ben, and a sister, Amy Jay. His grandparents are Jean and Earl Tomlin and JoAnn Scoggin.Scoggin was in the 19th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron out of Little Rock, Ark.,and served four tours as an electronic warfare technician, where he serviced the defensive mechanism aircraft use when targeted by an enemy weapon. He is one of only 1,000 people in the military with his specialized expertise, and he has an associate degree in aircraft technology.Scoggin was deployed for his first stint at Balad Air Base in Iraq in February 2009. He returned home after a few months but was stationed to the same base in October of the same year. Scoggin called it a surreal experience to get used to dealing with the contrasting sides of living in a war zone."You are sitting there watching YouTube, then suddenly there is a mortar attack," he said. "It was just so strange to realize where you are, doing the most ordinary things."In his third tour in May 2010, he was sent to Kuwait where even though there was less active military action, he began to think more about his future. In fact, he ordered a diamond engagement ring online and kept it on his dog tags until he could return home."I told myself that if I wasn't responsible enough to take care of a ring, then I wasn't responsible enough to get married," he said. The ring remained on his dog tags until he returned to the United States in September, where he promptly turned over ownership to his then girlfriend, now wife, Amber. At that point, they both knew that life in the military offered no guarantees, so they decided to forgo a lengthy engagement. "My Mom and Amber got talking on the way home from visiting me in Little Rock," Scoggin said. "They had the wedding planned and ready when I came home two weeks later."It was a good thing they decided not to wait because in January 2011, Scoggin found himself deployed to Kandahar, Afghanistan. He said that after being deployed three times before to well-established military bases, Kandahar was more primitive. He also had a lot more down time."Our planes were newer, so they didn't need much repair," Scoggin said. "We helped out the British, Canadians and other NATO nations with their aircraft. You want something to keep you busy when you're in a place like that."Scoggin returned home for the final time in May 2012 after being discharged from the Air Force, only to be faced with a more personal challenge. His father was terminally ill with melanoma, a form of skin cancer. His mother had previously suffered from kidney cancer before his first deployment, and she is still dealing with some lingering health problems. His father passed away only four months after his return from Afghanistan."My grandfather and my aunt passed away from the same disease, and Dad was always getting checked," Scoggin said. "But there was a spot on his scalp underneath his hair that they just missed. They removed a huge portion, but it had just spread too far."Scoggin said that while dealing with his father's death, he also began dealing with living for so long in a war zone. He said that it can take months for your body to adjust to not needing a constant heightened sense of awareness and even longer to convince yourself you are safe. Scoggin says when he was in those stressful situations he remembers an experience involving his father and Appalachian State football. "Everyone remembers when App beat Michigan (in 2007)," he said. "My Dad and I were listening to the game on the radio while we were dove hunting. I had walked away in disgust when I thought they were going to lose, but all of a sudden my Dad hollers for me to come back. When they won, we were celebrating and shooting off our guns. It was one of the best days. Whenever I think things are impossible, I just tell myself if Appalachian can beat Michigan, anything is possible."Scoggin and his wife have plans to move to Boone where he will enroll at Appalachian State University to study business management and entrepreneurship. For now, he is just thankful for the experiences he has had and the support he has received."There were times when I was in a situation where I didn't understand the point," Scoggin said. "I just fix planes, why are people shooting at me? But gradually you understand that God has his hand in everything. I am so grateful for what I have. I don't know where I would be without the love and support of my wife and parents."Sharon Myers can be reached at 249-3981, ext, 228 or at sharon.myers@the-dispatch.com.